While we didn?t support Martin O?Malley for governor, we?re more than a little impressed that he showed the good sense to stick with a tried, true and, importantly, competent executive in naming Michael Enright as his chief of staff.
Enright, Baltimore?s first deputy mayor, has provided the cerebral punch and administrative acumen that have led to the saving of tens of millions of dollars with CitiStat, a much admired and emulated approach to managing the city in a businesslike way. Even if Governor-elect O?Malley?s scorekeeping on the CitiStat savings is sometimes questionable or even off by some, few could deny that the accountability imposed by the program represents a major step forward in government management and one we must continue.
Enright?s background impresses, with experience as a staffer in Congress, the state attorney general?s office and as former newspaper reporter with a master?s degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
But here?s what especially impresses. Asked about whether he planned to get involved in the recent campaign, he said, and we paraphrase, that he planned to focus on doing his job in city governance. Wow. What a concept. Our bet is he?ll stick with that approach, on behalf of the rest of us, in Annapolis.
